Israel mulls ways to handle flotilla as preparations step up

The flotilla, which is expected to be joined by the Humanitarian Aid Foundation (İHH), will most likely set sail after parliamentary elections in Turkey in June. Pro-Palestinian activists told The Associated Press on Tuesday that they are in the final stages of organizing the flotilla to the Gaza Strip, likely to be much bigger than a similar flotilla that was raided a year ago by Israeli forces, leaving nine civilians dead.

The campaign sets up the possibility of another showdown with Israel, which eased its land blockade of Gaza following the international anger over the raid but is gearing up to thwart any attempt to breach its blockade off the Gaza coast. Eight Turks and one Turkish-American died in a lethal raid on a Turkish boat, the Mavi Marmara, that was part of the flotilla on May 31, 2010.

A UN panel is still investigating the May 31 raid on the Mavi Marmara and is expected to finish its work in the coming weeks. A final report may be ready in May, according to sources close to the investigation. Turkey demands an apology from Israel and compensation for families of the victims. Israel rejects both demands, saying its soldiers acted in self-defense. The incident drew world attention to the humanitarian situation in Gaza and plunged ties between former allies Israel and Turkey to a new low.

Earlier this month, Netahyahu’s office had asked UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and several European states to stop the planned flotilla from setting sail to Gaza, claiming that there are “extremist Islamic elements whose aim is to create a provocation and bring about a conflagration among the organizers.”

The target date for departure of the new flotilla is the first anniversary of the raid, but it could be delayed, partly because it clashes with Turkish election campaigning. Organizers say the new effort includes activists from Europe, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Latin America, Canada and the United States.

Israel has vehemently defended its land and sea blockade of Gaza, saying it prevents weapons from reaching Iran-backed Hamas militants. Last month, Israel intercepted a freighter in the Mediterranean that it said was carrying arms for Hamas.

Israeli military officials say naval forces have been busy preparing for the new flotilla for weeks. They said the navy is taking the flotilla very seriously, but plans to use different tactics this time around. They declined to elaborate, but said the goal is to stop the flotilla while avoiding casualties. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because of the secrecy of the operation.

Israeli daily Haaretz reported on Tuesday that at this stage, Netanyahu government has not altered its policy but said during Wednesday’s meeting alternative policy scenarios are likely to be discussed. “One possibility being entertained by Foreign Ministry officials and Israeli Defense Forces [IDF] officers is to allow the vessels to reach Gaza, but only after they pass security checks at the Ashdod port or some neutral harbor,” the report said.

According to Haaretz, officials from the foreign and defense ministries will present intelligence assessments regarding the current flotilla’s status, and they will also review diplomatic overtures that have been made, most notably with Turkey, aimed at preventing the flotilla’s departure. The Israeli ambassador to Turkey, Gabby Levy, had earlier contacted the Foreign Ministry to urge flotilla organizers to stop sailing, without any tangible results.

The flotilla is expected to start sailing from another European country, most likely Greece. The report said the selection of another location for departure and the delay in the start of the voyage has led Israeli Foreign Ministry officials to speculate that the flotilla organizers do not want to embarrass the Turkish government. “Such facts actually reflect the strengthening of connections between the Turkish government and the flotilla’s organizers,” an Israeli Foreign Ministry source told Haaretz.

Activists step up preparations

Hüseyin Oruç, a spokesman for the İHH, said this time an international coalition of 22 nongovernmental groups hopes to send 15 vessels with up to 1,500 people. Last year, six ships and about half that number participated.

The Mavi Marmara was seized during the raid along with five other ships and docked in Israel, where it was thoroughly searched. Upon being returned to Turkey in August it was renovated by activists for the new flotilla. The boat has since become an icon for the İHH.

“Everybody is getting ready,” Oruç said in an interview with AP. He predicted that Israel, mindful of negative fallout from last year’s raid, would not try a similar operation this year.

Yigal Palmor, spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry, said a recent conference of donors to the Palestinians had called on all parties to send any humanitarian aid through land crossings. “People coming by sea are doing it as a provocation and are looking for violent confrontation. We call on all relevant parties to display responsibility and shun violence,” said Palmor, noting aid for the region is provided by the UN, international groups and through the Palestinian Authority. “There is no reason to try to circumvent the existing channels,” he said.

Turkey has harshly criticized Israel since the three-week war in Gaza that ended in early 2009. In an April 20 column in The New York Times, however, President Abdullah Gül alluded to Turkey’s role as a facilitator of talks between Israel and Syria before the war, saying Turkey wanted to help the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.